CAR parking chaos at Kemble railway station is causing misery for residents and commuters.

As there are not enough spaces in the car park, commuters using train services early in the morning have been forced to park their cars on grass verges and in narrow streets around the village, causing congestion.

Bob Williams, who lives near the station, said that cars were being parked all along the Station Road and Windmill Road sides of the car park.

They are also being parked near the junction of Station Road and Windmill Drive, making it a blind corner and very dangerous, Mr Williams said.

He added: “I am sure that in the last year or so it has become much more of a problem. I am not sure why.

“You can see cars parked there all week.”

Mr Williams is concerned that if train services are increased as expected in the next few years, the car parking problem at the station will only get worse.

He said: “With the railway redoubling that has happened that means that more trains could be going through and more commuters - the traffic will only increase.”

Cotswold MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has campaigned for a solution and in 2011, First Great Western (FGW), which is responsible for the car park, agreed to spend £145,000 creating 65 new spaces.

But those plans were scuppered when FGWfailed to get planning approval for the upgrades.

James Davis, a spokesman for FGW, said he understood that there was a need for a solution to car parking at the station and that the company was investigating how to do this.

He said: “I think car parking is in demand and there is a demand to park. We are looking into car parking works and providing car parking spaces.”

But Mr Davis said he was unable to give any more details on the car parking plans at this time.

However, Nick Spindler, clerk to Kemble Parish Council, was able to give more clarity on the work FGW was doing to improve car parking.

He explained that Bathurst Estate is in ongoing discussions with letting land it owns in Station Road to FGW so the company can create more parking spaces.

He said: “We are in discussions with both parties. Our position is we definitely support it and we are pursuing all options. We are addressing the issue.We want the car parking upgrades done.”

Jeremy Lilley, parliamentary assistant to Mr Clifton-Brown, said that for the past few years rail infrastructure operator Network Rail and FGW have been shifting responsibility for upgrading the car park between each other.

He claimed FGW had told Mr Clifton-Brown that it was unable to commit to investing in the car park as it was unsure if it would be given a new franchise period with the government after its current one ends in 2016.

Mr Lilley explained that Claire Perry, who works for the Department ForTransport and is responsible for railway issues, has said to him she would be working with FGW to address the parking problem at Kemble.

Do you struggle to find a space at Kemble station? Have your say at wiltsglosstandard.co.uk